Loop-forming mechanism for bale-tie machines.



PATENTED JULY 24,1906.

i A. M. GRIFFIN. LOOP FORMING MEGHANISM FOR BALE TIE MACHINES.

APPL IOATION TILED IAYEO, 1906.

TN: NORR S PETERS C0 WASHINDYON, n. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALVAH M. GRIFFIN, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

LOOP-FORMING MECHANISM FOR BALE-TIE MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 24, 1906.,

Application filed May 20, 1905l Serial No. 261,449.

following is a specification.

This invention relates to bale-tie machines,

and more especially to the mechanism thereof for making a loop in theend of the bale-tie wire and cutting the wire to complete the bale-tie;and my object is to produce mechanism of this character which operatesefficiently and reliably. Afurther object is to produce loop forming andholding elements of such construction and organization that it isimpossible for the catch-pin to fail to engage the loop and efiect thefeed of the Wire immediately after each loop is completed.

With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel andpeculiar features of construction and combinations of parts, ashereinafter described and claimed, and in order that it may be fullyunderstood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the loopforming mechanism. Fig. 2 is asimilar view with the top plate of said mechanism omitted. Fig. 3 is avertical section taken on the line X X of Fig. 1. Fig, 4 is a verticalsection on line XI XI of Fig. 1.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, inclusive, 39 and 40 indicate suerposed plates adapted to be secured by b0 ts 41 to portions 42 of theframe of a bale-tie machine, the lower plate 39 having its centralportion depressed to provide a narrow space 43 between itand the upperplate. a

44 and 45 indicate vertically-alined circular j ournal-openings in saidplates for the hub 46 of the hook-shaped folder, comprising the shank 47and the segmental arm 48, the hub 46 being preferably provided with therec tangular assage 49 for engagement with the rectangu ar shaft 50,(shown only in Fig. 1,) said shaft being adapted to be oscillated byanysuitablemechanism. (Notshown) The segmental arm 48 of the folderispreferably of greater thickness than the space 43 and occu ies thesuperposed segmental grooves 51, ormed in the proximate faces of saidplates concentrically of the j ournal-openings 44 and 45. Said groovesintersect the verti- I cally-alined slots 52 and 53, formed in plates 39and 40, respectively, and extending-from a point-'rearwardly of theplane of the axis of the folder to the front edges of said plates. Theslots incline slightly to the left as viewed from the rear for thegreater portion oftheir length, their open ends being longitudinallyalined with a notch 54 in theupper edge of a transversely-extending bar55, secured by bolts 56 to the lug 57 and plate 58, depending from andrigid with plate 39. The opposite end of said bar is mounted on a bolt59,

screwed into and between the lates 39 and 40, the plates being heldrigid y together to reliably receive said bolt by the vertical capscrew60.

V 61 is a spacing-block fitting upon bolt 59 between said plates 39 and40 and bar 55, and 62 is a plate secured by cap-screws 63 to plate 40and projecting forwardly beyond the latter to afford a bearing for barand provide a space between said bar and plates 39 and 40, within whichthe knife 64 is reciprocally mounted, said knife having an arm 65 forengagement by any suitable means forming a part of a bale-tie machine.

66 is a stationary knife occupying recesses 67 in the rear edges ofplates 39 and 40 to cooperate with the reciprocatory knife,aclamping-screw 68, mounted in cross-bar 55, holding said stationaryknife reliably in position.

69 is a stub-shaft underlying the forward ends of plates 39 and 40 androjecting from lug 57, and pivoted on sai stub-shaft for verticaloperation is a rearwardly-projecting former 70, saidformerhaving anupwardlyprojecting lug step-shaped in side view and consisting of thelower step 71 to project upward in slot 52 to the plane of the upperside of plate 39, and the upper step 72 to occupy the rear end of andproject up into the slot 53 ,so as to intersect the space 43, the formerbeing pressed yieldinglyupward in this posit1on by means of a s ring 73,mounted on stub-shaft 69 and having an arm 74 pressing upwardly againstthe former and its opposite end engaging a cross-pin or cotter 75,secured in the stub-shaft.

The bale-tie wire 6 extends through space 10 5 V 43 between the formerand the folder and likewise through notch 54 between the knives.Immediately after the reciprocatory knife is caused to cut the wire bycooperation with I the stationary knife the folder swings from no theposition shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, to the position shown in fulllines, Fig. 2. In such action the front end of the folder engages thewire and bends the same around the upper .step of the lug of the former,as shown clearly, and it will be noticed in this connection that byreason of the fact that the segmental arm of the folder is of greaterthickness than the space 43, in which the wire is confined, and whichgives the latter no room for vertical movement, the bending of the wire,as explained, is inevitable, as it is absolutely impossible for it tomove upward or downward out of the path of the folder, it being noticedthat the lower step 71 of the lug of the former forms a closure for thelower slot 52 at the point where the wire is bent around the upper stepof said lug, so

\ as to guard against the wire springin down into said lower slot.Immediately a ter the folder bends the wire, as explained, the bodyportion and end of the latter is gripped by a suitable twistingmechanism (not shown) and twistedtightly together, so as to complete theeye formed at the front end of the wire when the latter is bent aroundthe former by the folder. While this twisting operation is in progressthe folder swings back to its original position and immediately afterthe twisting operation is completed the forwardly-moving catch-pin ofany common and well-known type, as indicated in Fig. 4, descends uponstep 72 of the lug of the former and pushes the same downward until itis totally withdrawn from the eye in the end of the wire, the pinobviously replacing it in said eye, because the latter cannot turnwithin the narrow space 413, within which it is confined. As thecatch-pin moves forward it follows the inclination of the slot, andthereby imposes a lateral as well as a tensile strain on the tie-wire,with the result that the wire is drawn to one side of the rear ends ofslots 52 and 53, so as to be out of the way of and permit the lug of theformer to be reproj ected into said slots without coming into engagementwith the wire, it being obvious that if the wire was not so deflectedthe lug of the former in rising would strike the wire instead ofassuming a position at the opposite side of the same from the folder,and as a result the folder could not bend the wire around the former,and thereby produce the loop or eye in the end of the wire. In fact,without some means for positively and reliably drawing the wire towardthe folder and out of the vertical plane of the end of said slots themachine would be impracticable. The oblique slots for deflectin thecatch-pin, for the reason explained, are urther important, in that thedirection which they compel said pin to follow results in bending thetwisted portion of the wire slightly to dispose the center of its e eabout in longitudinal alinement with the body of the wire and notslightly to one side of the plane ofsaid wire, as has heretofore beenthe case with bale-ties manufactured by machines of this generalcharacter. By bending the wire as described a more symmetrical and atthe same time stronger bale-tie is produced. All future operations arerepetitions of those described.

It will thus be seen that I have produced a mechanism of the characterdescribed which operates efiiciently and reliably and which combines theadvantageous features of Simplicity, strength, and durability in a highdegree.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Let ters Patent, is e 1. In a bale-tie machine,a air of superposed elements between whic the baletie wire extends, avertically-movable former having a lug, means yieldingly holding said"former with its lug intersecting the space between said superposedelements at one side of the wire, and an oscillatory folder adapted tooperate between said superposed elements and to engage and bend the endof the baletie wire around the lug of the former between said elements.

2. In a bale-tie machine, a air of superposed elements between which thebale-tie wire extends, a vertically-movable former having a lug, meansyieldingly holding said former with its lug intersecting the spacebetween said superposed elements at one side of the wire, a suitablecutting mechanism for cutting said wire forward of said lug, and anoscillatory folder adapted to operate between said superposed elementsand to engage and bend the end of the bale-tie wire around the lug ofthe former between said elements.

3. In a bale-tie machine, a pair of super posed elements between whichthe bale-tie wire extends, having vertically-alined slots extending fromthe front ends of said elements rearwardly a suitable. distance, a ver=tically-movable former having a lug, means yieldingly holding saidformer with its lug occupying the rear ends of said slots andintersecting the space between said elements,

and an oscillatory folder adapted to operate between said superposedelements and to engage and bend the end of the bale-tie wire around thelug of the former between said elements.

4. In a bale-tie machine, a pair of superposed elements between whichthe bale-tie wire extends and provided in their proximate faces withvertically-alined segmental grooves which intersect the lon itudinalplane of the wire above and below t e latter, a vertically movableformer having a lug, means yieldingly holding said former with its lugintersecting the space between said superosed elements at one side ofthe wire, and a folder pivoted to and between said super posed elementsand comprising a shank with in the space in which the Wire is confinedand In testimony whereof I affix my signature a segmental arm of greaterthickness than the in the presence of two Witnesses.

depth of such space and occupying said segmental grooves, said arm beingadapted in the operation of the folder to engage the end of the Wire andbend it back around the lug of the former.

ALVAH M. GRIFFIN.

Witnesses:

H. O. RODGERS, G. Y. THORPE.

